Corporate tie-up: Circio and Tcelltech combine for non-viral in vivo T-cell engineering

Circio and Tcelltech agreed to combine technologies to develop next-generation in vivo CAR-T and TCR-T cells using non-viral DNA delivery. The collaboration pairs Circio’s circVec circular RNA expression system with Tcelltech’s episomal nanoSMAR vector platform designed to reduce reliance on viral vectors. Both companies said the approach targets scalability and safety improvements by aiming for sustained CAR/TCR expression without viral vector risk profiles, while also leveraging nanoSMAR’s high cargo capacity to enable larger and more complex constructs. The staged work will begin with proof-of-concept comparisons in primary human T cells and then move to CD19-directed CAR T cell generation and tumor-cell killing assessments. It also signals broader industry momentum toward in vivo engineering strategies that keep manufacturing complexity in check.